Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has condemned the Guardian's suggestion that other G8 leaders are dissatisfied with the way that his country has organised its hosting of today's summit, calling the article by diplomatic editor Julian Borger "a colossal blunder by a small paper."

Speaking at a press conference, Berlusconi dismissed the Guardian report, saying that "My (G-8) colleagues know the newspapers well and know how to judge them," reported the Wall Street Journal. The original Guardian article quotes unnamed officials criticising the Italians, and says that "The behind-the-scenes grumbling has gone as far as suggestions that Italy could be pushed out of the G8 or any successor group."

The paper has issued a statement saying that it wholeheartedly rejected any suggestion that the news story was unfounded, and an article published yesterday on Guardian.co.uk addresses the Italian foreign ministry's complaints and explains the paper's thinking. It also reports that the Italian defence minister, Ignazio La Russa, had suggested a boycott of the paper because of the report and quotes foreign minister Franco Frattini who said "I hope that the Guardian is expelled from the great newspapers of the world." The Guardian also published an editorial that is highly critical of the Italian premier entitled "Italy: Unfit for summitry."

This is not the first time that Berlusconi has lashed out against the foreign press in response to criticism. After papers such as the Financial Times criticised his conduct following queries about the nature of his relationship with an 18-year-old, the prime minister announced that "the international press's campaign is being orchestrated by an Italian group" and referring to it as a left-wing "plot." In April, he also seemed to threaten a government-inspired boycott of specific news organisations following unfavourable coverage at the G20 and NATO summits.

Source: Guardian, Wall Street Journal